7/8 week itinerary for the highlights of South East Asia
Summary
South East Asia has to be the premier world traveling region. A big call? For sure, but consider what genuinely world class offerings it can provide:
- World class beaches and coastal areas – think of THAT beach in Ko Phi Phi and HaLong Bay, one of the Natural Wonders of the World
- World class food – think Thai, Vietnamese, Malay and the genuine fusion into the mix with the large established Indian and Chinese communities
- World class ancient sites and history – think of the temples of the “8th Wonder of the World” of Angkor Wat, and the breathtaking site of the pagodas stretching across the plain in Bagan
- World class cities and party locations – think of Singapore as the city of the future and the Full Moon Parties on Ko Pha-Ngan
And all this in a place that is super safe, outrageously friendly, easy and cheap to travel in. A must for any keen traveler and the below itinerary will give you the highlights – enjoy!
highlights
#1 Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Taking the back routes and cycling through some of the lesser known parts of this giant complex and finding temples often all to yourself
#2 Komodo Islands, Indonesia. Taking a boat trip through the stunning Komodo National Park to see jagged savannah-covered mountains meeting bright white sand beaches across 30 islands surrounded by gorgeous turquoise waters filled with manta rays. And . . . getting to see the Komodo Dragons
#3 Bagan, Burma. Cycling through the lush plain to see thousands of temples, many of which have only a number rather than a name, finding the "key holder" and being left to explore all on your own
#4 HaLong Bay, Vietnam. Drifting by on a traditional junk boat through one of the Natural Wonders of the World
#5 Hoi An, Vietnam. Wandering through the old bridges and lantern spots of this UNESCO-listed historic old town
#6 Ubud, Indonesia. Experiencing the closest thing to the Jungle Book by staying in one of the gorgeous villas surrounded by lush jungle in Ubud, Bali
#7 Mai Chau, Vietnam. Cycling between the lush green patchwork of rice fields in the stunning valley setting of Mai Chau
##8 Vang Vien, Laos. Jumping into a rubber ring and drifting the 4km / 2.5 miles through lush jungle, emerald green paddy fields and looking up at the serene karst hills around Vang Vien
#9 Hanoi, Vietnam. Pulling up one of those small plastic seats and grabbing one of the fresh Vietnamese beers as you watch the mayhem go by from Bia Hoi Junction in Hanoi's Old Town
#10 Inle Lake, Burma. Chilling by the beautiful mirrored water as you watch the locals getting on with their lives in what has been a very turbulent country
#11 Bali, Indonesia. The world class restaurants and bars of Seminyak meet the effortless shabby chic of UluWatu Padang Padang Beach in Bali
#12 Phuket and Koh Phi Phi, Thailand. Relaxing and diving around the beautiful waters of South West Thailand
#13 Laos. The magnificent views out the window as you bus ride through central Laos
#14 Sapa, Vietnam. Catching the views of the nearby mountains as you zip by on your motorbike through the hills of Sapa
#15 Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Taking a boat trip through the Mekong Delta to see the way people work, eat, sleep and live all on the river
#16 Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Samui, Thailand. Getting a bit loose at a Full Moon Party on Koh Pha Ngan
#17 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Enjoying the buzz and energy of the epicentre of Vietnam's boom. Encapsulated perfectly in crossing the street as thousands of motorbikes swerve and swarm impossibly round you
#18 Luang Prabang, Laos. Wandering through the Old Town with its Monks walking by on their way to prayers and with the jungle and Mekong River surrounding
#19 Hoi An, Vietnam. Seeing the sunset from the world class An Bang beach with its gorgeous bay setting
#20 Burma. Just the sheer other-worldliness randomness of the country
OPTIONAL EXTRA - staying in guesthouses on the white sand beaches, turquoise waters and jungle islands of Raja Ampat, Indonesia. About as close to tropical paradise as you can get
OPTIONAL EXTRA - making your way through forgotten towns and a land still vacated by tourists as you take a ferry down the Irrawaddy in Northern Burma
OPTIONAL EXTRA - diving with Thresher Sharks in the idyllic small tropical island of Malapascua, The Philippines
OPTIONAL EXTRA - stop off in the futuristic city of Singapore and its wonderful Gardens by the Bay
OPTIONAL EXTRA - quad biking through the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, in The Philippines. Like something from a Super Mario game
OPTIONAL EXTRA - trekking through the mountainous jungles around Chiang Mai, Thailand
OPTIONAL EXTRA - world class diving with fish often so dense you can barely see through them in the diving mecca of Raja Ampat, Indonesia
OPTIONAL EXTRA - diving off the beautiful warm waters of Balicasag Island near Bohol, in The Philippines
Rough itinerary
- Day 1-2 – Bangkok. Bangkok acts as a one of the key hubs for South East Asia and it is where many people starts their travels from. With Thailand as a whole being generally easy to travel through, Bangkok gives you that simplicity plus that instant hit of South East Asian energy
OPTIONAL EXTRA – staying in Thailand, consider 3/4 days to head up to Chiang Mai / Chiang Rai for trekking through the jungles and seeing the elephant sanctuaries
- Day 3-7 – Cambodia. Take the bus (or fly) to Siem Riep for 2 days to see the majestic Angkor Wat, one of the Wonders of the World and highlight of South East Asia. Be sure to see the main headline temples, but the highlight is actually cycling around the lesser known temples that will give you that wonderful feeling of adventure as you explore some of them all to yourself. Head then to Phnom Penh for the somber experience of the Killing Fields. See these travel entries for more details and tips on each one – Cycling around Angkor Wat and The killing fields of Phnom Penh
- Day 8-10 – Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC, aka Saigon) and the Mekong Delta. Take the bus from Phnom Penh to HCM to see the brimming energy of the city at the epicenter of Vietnam’s boom. Also make time for an overnight boat trip through the Mekong Delta to see how people spend their whole lives living on the river and to see the Cu Chi Tunnels for just how claustrophobic it must have been for the Vietcong fighters
- Day 11-14 – Hoi An. Take one of the super comfortable night buses from HCMC up to Hoi An, the highlight of Vietnam. Enjoy the UNESCO-listed historic old town that miraculously avoided destruction in the war and even more miraculously has still largely avoided the over commercialisation of the modern day; the world class An Bang beach with its gorgeous bay setting; the 500+ master tailors ready to make anything you want cheap as chips, and the other UNESCO-listed ancient Cham ruins of My Son within an hours drive
- Day 15 – 21 – Northern Vietnam. Base yourself in Hanoi’s wonderful Old Town where you must try the fresh beer by Bia Hoi Junction, and use Hanoi as the hub to branch out for a overnight boatrip through the dramatic karst peaks in the Natural Wonder of the World Halong Bay, a day cycling through the patchwork of lush green rice fields like something out of an Asian Fairytale in Mai Chau, and a overnight train journey up to explore the hilltop villages and tribes around Sapa on the back of a motorbike. See these travel entries for more details and tips on each one An overnight boat trip through HaLong Bay – The Bay of the Descending Dragon, Cycling through the patchwork rice fields of Mai Chau, and Sapa – taking a motorbike around the mountain scenery and hilltop villages
- Day 22 – 26 Laos. Fly to Luang Prabang (you could take the bus but it takes 24+hours) for about as close an “Authentic Asia” experience as you’re going to get. The Old Town is a timeless UNESCO World Heritage site, with monks still walking all around you on their daily business as they rush from one beautiful temple to the next; and the location is stunning as the confluence of the Mekong and Kham rivers. Be sure to check out the nearby waterfalls of Tat Kuang Si that look like something from a fantasy novel. Take a bus down to Vang Vien for tubing down the Mekong through lush jungle, emerald green paddy fields and looking up at the serene karst hills. See these very brief travel entries for more tips – Waterfalls and mountain views in Luang Prabang and Tubing down the Mekong in Vang Vien
- Day 27 – Give yourself a day to make you way to Mandalay. Most realistically a flight from Vientiane to Bangkok and then over to Mandalay
- Day 28 – 35 – Central Burma. Give yourself 2 days in Mandalay to take in the views of the Palace from Mandalay Hill and head further out to see the giant Mingun Paya, plus the old colonial capital of Inwa and to walk with the monks across the world’s longest teak bridge at U-Bein. Then take the boat from Mandalay to Bagan to give yourself 2 days to explore the sheer vast number of temples across this world-class site. First day should simply be getting lost cycling around in the mystery of it all, second day taking a guide to explain the context and show some of the key sites. Next decide if you want to take the 10 hour bus (bone rattling but with stunning views) or fly to Inle Lake to spend a couple of days chilling out and taking mini boat trips around the serene Inle Lake with its gorgeous mirror effect. See these travel entries for more details and tips on each location Seeing some of the key sites around Mandalay, Cycling around the Temples of Bagan and Boating around the serene Inle Lake in central Burma–
- Day 36 – Fly back to Bangkok and fly down to the southern Thai islands
- Day 37 – 41 – the islands of Southern Thailand. If you’ve got plenty of time you could check spend time in both the East and West Coasts, but they are relatively similar so I’d suggest one of the other. 5 days in either offers beautiful beach options, great diving and superb food options. East Coast will give you the chance to experience the Full Moon Party on Koh Pha Ngan, whereas the West Coast offers the idyllic paradise spot of Koh Phi Phi and the slightly more upscale Phuket for its wonderful sunsets. Can’t really lose and for more details and tips on each one so the individual entries for Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Samui – mopeds, beaches, ping pong shows and full moon parties, Relaxing on the beaches of Phuket, Diving and relaxing in and around Ko Phi Phi and Climbing the karst peaks of Wat Tham Seua near Krabi
- Day 42 – fly down to Bali
- Day 43 – 47 – Bali. Spend 2/3 days hitting the world-class restaurants in Seminyak and surf bliss of Uluwatu, but also make sure you stay for a few days in a jungle villa in Ubud with its dense jungle hiding vibrantly green rice terraces, old Hindu temples, and a chilled out Balinese hippy-yoga-heart-rate-so-low-you’re practically-dead vibe throughout. It’s the closest thing you can get to the Jungle Book and Ubud is the centre of this. See these travel entries for more details and tips on each location – Bali – in and around Seminyak / Kuta and Bali – in and around Ubud
- Day 48 – 51 – the Komodo Islands. Fly over from Bali to Labuan Bajo and arrange for a boat ride through the islands to see the Komodo Dragons in their natural habitat. This is amazing, but the highlight are the islands themselves where you have spectacular scenery as jagged savannah-covered mountains meet bright white sand beaches across 30 islands surrounded by gorgeous turquoise waters filled with manta rays . . . indeed, truly awful. See the individual travel entry – Taking a local boat around the Komodo Islands for 3 days – for more tips
- Day 52 – leave with memories of one of the world’s best regions to travel
Experiences nearby
The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences
Other Multi-Destination Trips
Score Detail
Background - how many times have you asked someone what a travel experience was like and the response was "amazing" or "awesome"? That response is nice to know, but it makes it hard to differentiate that experience compared to others. That is exactly what these scores are trying to do - differentiate the experience by giving a score out of 10 based on 6 categories and then giving an overall experience score
This overall experience score is calculated by: take the highest of the "Culture" or "Nature" score (1-10) + "Fun factor" (1-10) + "Avoiding the crowds" (1-10) + highest of the "Unique" or "World Famous score" (1-10). Then convert into a score out of 100
Extra detail - the logic being that I find all of the 6 individual scores important, but I don't want to mark an experience down just because it doesn't cover both "Culture" and "Nature", or because it isn't both "World Famous" and "Unique". Take the examples of Safari in The Serengeti and walking through Rome - they both appeal at opposite ends of the nature / culture spectrum, and you can have a fantastic time without needing to appeal to both sides. So, their overall scores aren't penalized for their lack of one or the other, and I've done the same for "World Famous" vs "Unique". But . . . I do think that the "Fun factor" of an experience is important, irrelevant of other factors, and so is "Avoiding the Crowds" (or where there are crowds that add to the experience). So, both of these scores are standalone